Bikes

Touring Bikes

Adventure or Touring bikes are the epitome of cycling. You, bike and Nature. Technology has allowed these bikes to become lighter, easier to ride and handle and control in the backcountry. Here we'll go through our massive range of adventure bikes and go through...

TOURING BIKES

Touring and adventure bikes have recently seen a resurgence in popularity. That’s because they not only make the ideal touring bike, these bikes are also the best bikes for long distance riding such as commuting, fitness or even touring the world. Yes, people do that on bikes.

What makes the ideal touring bike?

Several factors come into play. An upright (but not too upright) seating position is important for long distance riding, ensuring you stay relaxed and comfortable. This position is never going to be fast and aerodynamic, but it will be efficient, delivering you to your final destination - without a broken backside.

Vintage touring bikes where heavy, and you would feel the weight of panniers and bike on every climb. This is where new school engineering kicks in. Giant (one of our main bike brand here at Ivanhoe Cycles) has an aluminium frame called the ALUXX SLR. This is the best aluminium frame that you can buy for your new touring bike. It’s the lightest and strongest aluminium that Giant make their premium touring bikes from. We’ll go through options in Giant’s touring bike range soon.

But touring bikes also have to be comfortable. So how does Giant deliver comfort to the rider on their touring bike range? Through the seat post, fork and tyres.

SEATPOST

D-Fuse is a name you’ve probably never heard of. It’s the name Giant give their specially designed seat posts that are formed in the shape of a - you guessed it - ‘D’. What the heck does this do? It flexes way more than a traditional seatpost does - in fact, up to 2.5 times more. D-Fuse posts absorb much more vibrations and impacts, making them the perfect choice for the Toughroad SLR touring bikes because suspension would otherwise add too much weight.

CARBON FORK

Carbon fibre forks are nothing new. Except on the Toughroad SLR range, the cross-section and size have been increased to accommodate front pannier racks.

TYRES

This is an important one for touring bikes and long distance riding.

Balloon tyres aren’t new in Europe but are very new to Australia, and riders are still naive about the benefits. These tyres are simply larger in volume, which means the tyres can deform over the road, cobble or gravel surface easily; effectively absorbing those high-frequency vibrations that suspension isn’t very good at.

Compared with using a standard 37mm wide touring or hybrid tyre, up to 25% less impact is sustained in the lumbar spine region. On the Toughroad SLR this will be greater due to the D-Fuse seat posts [source: German Sports University, Cologne].

The ideal tyre pressure is between 30psi and 40psi for these tyres, depending on rider weight and riding conditions. These are much lower pressure than what most riders are accustomed to, but it is the pressure range where you’ll get the most benefit - without loss of rolling resistance.

TUBELESS

Every Giant Toughroad SLR (except for the SLR 2) is setup up tubeless from day one. This further enhances comfort, traction and handling. The tyre uses a special rubber compound called ‘Graphene’ which helps the tyre deform and track better along the road’s surface.

The tubeless sealant is inserted and is used to coat the inside of the tyres. This special sealant helps repair punctures that would otherwise cause you to pull over and replace a new tube.

So, which one to get? Here we’re going to list the best bikes for long distance riding and why you should consider them:

TOUGHROAD SLR

The Toughroad SLR caught us by surprise when it was released a couple of seasons ago. Here is the perfect bike for most riders; commuters, tourers and fitness riders (who ride a combination of concrete and unsealed bike paths, as well as Rail Trails).

Generally, the Toughroad SLR GX will suit riders who use to riding a road bike and want a super-comfortable touring bike. Much the same tech is used on the GX version; D-Fuse post, carbon fork and ALUXX SLR frame.

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